Ironing machine



Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,617

F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 30, 1922 Sheets-Sheet 1 vENToRATTORNEY F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. .30, 19.2221 3sneezs-sneetz ATTORNEY www. 29, w27.

F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3

0, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNEY irnnnnnrc n. nHNrs,4 or GERNANTOWN,PENNSYLVANIA, assIeNoN, BY MnsNn AssreNMnN'rs, ro H. W. BUTTERWQBTH asoNs COMPANY, A conronacrIoN or rENN-' sYLvaNra.

moNINe MACHINE.

Application led August 10, 1922. Serial No. 585,150.

This invention relates to ironing machines and more particularly in someof its details to such machines adaptedy for ironing all kinds ofwearing apparel, flat work, etc.

1t is a general object of the invention to provide an improved ironingmachine of the class mentioned, having a novel and convenientarrangement of elements, being durable and sturdy in service, simple andeilicientin operation and comparatively inexpensive to make.

Another object is to provide a machine of the class mentioned having animproved mechanism for automatically'connecting or disconnecting theironing roll from the power drive.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for the adjustment ofthe ironing roll.

Another object is to provide improved driving connections for theoperative ele inents of the ironing roll.

Still ano-ther object is to provide an improved arrangement for atemperature indicating means so the operator can see at a glance thetemperature conditions of the ironing shoe.

Other objects will be in part obvious in connection with the followingdetailed de# scription and in part pointed out in connection therewith.

The invention `accordingly comprises the features of construction,combinations of.

elements, and arrangement of parts, which 2 will be exemplified in theconstruction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application ofwhich will be indicated in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative but preferredembodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Figure l is a front elevation of an ironing machine constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation looking toward the right end ofFigure 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation looking toward the left end ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation approximately on the line4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a section takenapproximately on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the drive mechanismfor the ironer roll;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig.l

description of the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed theoperative elements of the ironer are mounted on a supporting frame,including integral cast end frames 1 and 2 rigidly secured together bylongitudinally extending frame rods 3. Each end frame hasupright legs orstandards integrally connected near their upper `and lower ends bytransverse frame pieces 5 and 6 and an upright integral pedestal 7 risesfrom each frame piece 6 near one .side of the end frame, forming asupport for the ironing shoe. Spaced from the pedestal 7 of the endframes are integral upstanding legs 8 and 9 to which are pivotedstandards .10 carrying a swinging feed board 11 and having facescontacting with corresponding faces of the legs 8 and 9. rlhese facesmay beserrated and wing nuts 11a are provided to hold them in engagementto secure the feed board in any desired adjusted position. The leg 9 isformed with integral bosses 12 for the attachment of a driving motor 13at the upper side thereof while similar bosses 14 on the transverseframe piece 6 are arranged for attachment to the lower side of themotor. A bracket 15 forming a receptacle for a dampened sponge or clothis carried by the4 leg 9, overlying the motor 13 and providing a shieldand housing'therefor. The end frames are preferably flanged, presentingsmooth external surfaces and furnishing convenient means for theattachment of the various fixtures of the ironer.

Supported on the spaced pedestals 7 and secured thereto by screw bolts,is an ironing shoe 16 presenting a curved face formed by the main bodycasting 17 of the shoe. `A spaced sheet or plate 18 is suitably securedto the shoe casting and, together with the end flanges of the casting,forms an internal heating compartment or heated chamber in which ispositioned a heating element such ws a gas burner 19 for heating theshoe to the required ironing temperature.

Near the upper edge of the shoe casting and preferably within saidheated chamber is an integral formation 20 providing a boss or supportfor the attachment of a temperature indicator 21. This boss is providedwith an u wardly directed surface, preferably face off so as to beperfectlyfiat for the reception of a corresponding flat face of theindicator. When the indicator is secured in position in contact with theboss, an effective heat conducting joint is provided so the sensitiveelements of the indicator carried by the indicator casing will bemaintained at the same temperature as that of the shoe and an accurateindication of the temperature conditions of the shoe given to theoperator. Instead of being perectly flat, the contacting surface of thesupf porting boss and the indicating instrument may be ribbed so as toprovide intimately engagine` contact surfaces inclined to each other. san additional insurance that lthe sensitive element of the indicatorshall at all ,times be maintained at the same temperature as that of theshoe, the face of the indicator casing is disposed within the heatedchamber of the shoe and subjected to the temperature therein, which isapproximately the same as that of the shoe casting 17 and the concaveironing surface of the shoe. It will also be noted that the temperatureindicator casing is directed upwardly through an opening 1n the plate 18presenting its dial in position for convenient reference by theoperator. By this arrangement the sensitive elements of the indicatorare protected from external agencies tending to influence thetemperature thereof, such, for example, as air currents.

An ironing roll'22, cylindrical in Jform and padded on its ironingsurface with a suitable material 23 is rotatably mounted on alongitudinal axis extending parallel to the shoe. The roll is mountedfor swinging movement on arms 24 and 25 rigidly secured to a shaft 26rotatabl mounted in bearings in the pedestal 7. s sh`own in Figure 3,the arm 24 is curved downwardly, forming an upward openin loop or openend for the reception of t e work while ironing cus, rullles, etc. The'roll is thus mounted for lswinging movement toward and away from theconcave ironing surface of the shoe with which it cooperates in theironing operation.

For effecting this swinging movement; roll raising arms 27 are rigidlysecured to the shaft 26, being operatively connected by rods 28 with aedal member 29. Springs 30 are interpose in these connections so as toappl uniform pressure to work of different t icknesses and to rmityielding oscillation of the roll dur1ng the ironing to conform toirregularities. The pedal member 29 is carried by pedal arms 3l securedto one of the frame rods, 3, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 32carried by the end frames; the rod 3 thus acts in the double capacity ofa rotatable support for the pedal member and of a framing member forconnecting the end frames.

For holding the ironing roll in ironing position, a ratchet lockingdevice is provided which is conveniently mounted for cooperation withthe pedal mechanism. This locking device includes a ratchet plate 33carried by the end frame and having a series of teeth for engagementwith a pivoted pawl 34 carried by the pedal and being springpressed intolocking position with the ratchet plate by aspring 35. This arrangementprovides for locking the roll in any adjusted position which may befound desirable according to the thickness of the roll padding whichordinarily settles on the roll due to usage. The pawl 34 is released byany desired. means when the roll is to be dropped. It will be understoodthat a pawl locking device, as described, is ordinarily employed forboth ends of the pedal and the construction will be the same in bothcases.

A pan 36 of sheet metal or other flexible material underlies the rollfor supporting the work and preventing injurious contact thereof with-the frame work or moving parts of the machine. At the upper edge ot'the pan is an angularly disposed flange 37 lying between the upper edgeof the pedestals 7 and the ironing shoe for securing the pan in positionand the lower part of said pan is supported by the transverse framepieces 5 and 6. The lower edge of the pan sheet may be rolled around arod 63, as shown in Figure 6, presenting a finishing terminal bead nearthe forward side of the machine.

Means for transmitting power from the motor 13 to the ironing roll isshown in the drawing, this being arranged to make alltomatic connectionfor operation of the roll when moved into cooperating position with theironing shoe, and to automatically disconnect the power when the roll isretracted. The motor shaft 38 is connected by a flexible coupling39Vwith a. longitudinally aligned shaft 40 carrying a worm 4l. This wormis disposed within a casing 42 carrying a bearing for the worm shaft andbelng attached by a bracket 43 to the end frame 2. The casing isconstructed to form a compartment for receiving lubricant for the wormand associated parts.v A worm wheel 44 is rotatably mounted on the shaft26 at a part projecting beyond its support in the end frame 2, as shownin Figure 5. A Shield 45, resting on the worm casmg 42 and securedthereto, protects the lower part of the worm wheel and prevents throwingof the lubricant on to the adjacent parts of the machine or to theclothes under treatment. A toothed vpinion 46 is rotatably mounted onthe projecting end of shaft 26 and longitudinally slidable thereon,meshing with a gear 47 pinned tto the roll shaft 48. The hub of the wormwheel is provided with angularly spaced lugs 49 and the tpinion 46 hassimilarly spaced lugs 50 facing the for mer and adapted to meshtherewith to form a driving clutch. A gear housing 50a en cases thedriving mechanism, being supported by the shield 45.

For operating this driving clutch a pe-` ripheral groove isformed in theclutch pinion 46, engageable in which are lugs 51 carried by abifurcated clutch lever or shifter fork 52 pivotally mounted on a lug 530n the casing 42. As shown in F ig. 5, a compound operating rod 54connects the clutch shifter fork for automatic operation by the rollraising arm 27. This rod is composed of two telescoping sections 55 and56, section 56 extending through an opening in the shifter fork andhaving a pin 57 in engagement with the far side of the fork, while thenear side thereof is engaged by a washer, 58 surrounding the rod. Therod 54 is mounted for longitudinal slidable movement in a housing havingtwo spring compartments arranged in tandem. A spring 59 disposed in theforward spring compartment surrounds rod section 56, being compressedbetween the washer 58 )and the annular shoulder presented by the largertelescoping rod 55, while a second spring 60 is disposed in the rearwardspring compartment surrounding rod section 55 and being compressedbetween the annular shoulder presented by the enlargement at the rearend of this section and the shoulder formed in the casing at the forwardend of the spring compart-ment. The rear end of the operating rodprojects from the housing and has a contact surface lying adjacent a cam61ndjustably mounted on the roll raising arm 27.

As shown in F ig. 1, a clothes rack for the work is mounted` on themachine, and this may be located on either side thereof. 'Ihe rack isshown as supported by the end frame 1 carrying a base block 62 connectedby the rod 63 to a similar block 62 on the end frame 2. Superposed hubs64 and 65 are mounted on the block 62, being connected thereto by avertically disposed supporting pin suitably anchored to the end frame.Arms 66 for carrying the clothes are provided by tubing screwed into thehubs. 'Ihese arms may be swung into extending positions outwardly toycarry the clothes, or folded into position when not in use out of theway along the side of the machine.

A bracket 67 is mounted on the end frame 2 for-supporting the leading-inwires 68 of thelmotor, and a controlling switch 69 for starting andstopping the motor is mounted for convenient access adjacent the spongepan 15.

The operation of the machine will be clear from the foregoing detaileddescription, but may be briefly set out as follows. The feed board 1l isordinarily operated in vertical position, as shown in Figure 6, but itmay become desirable to swing it backwardly and downwardly for theaccommodation of certain pieces of work requiring the utilization ofgreater roll surface than would be accessible when the board isvertical. Also, when the board is swung away from the roll, the latteris accessible for repadding, adjustment of the pads, etc.

When it-is desired to bring the roll forward into position forcooperation with the concave ironing face of the ironing shoe, the pedalis depressed until the pawls 34 engage with the appropriate teeth of thelocking plate to lock the roll in operative position. During thismovement the cam 61 on the roll-raising arm 27 comes into engagementwith the projecting end of the clutch operating rod 54, moving the sameforwardly against the resistance of spring 60 to bring the clutch dogs49 and 50 into inter-meshing engagement with each other. In case themovement of the lugs to intermeshing position is obstructed byengagement of their opposed faces when not lying in proper position tointermesh, damaging of the operating connections is preventedl by theyielding connection between the sections of the telescoping compound rod54, the spring 59 being compressed under these conditions. lVhen the.lugs come into proper position to intermesh, the clutch pinion 46 isthrust forwardly by the expansion of the spring 59 and the drivingconnection thus established. The cam 61 may be adjusted so as to bringthe clutch into engagement at the desired instant for advantageousoperation.

As many changes could be made in the aboveY construction and manyapparently Widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, ,it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be,u interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cov/er all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby4 Letters Patent, is:

1. In an ironing machine, in combination,

`a supporting frame, anlironing shoe suppoi-ted upon said framing, anironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swingingmovement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a shaft mounted onsaid frame to which said arms are rigidly secured, an operator operatedmember connected to operate said shaft for raising and lowerin saidroll, a clutch rear rotatably mounte on said shaft and slidable thereoninto clutched or unclutched position, automatic mechanism dependent foroperation upon swinging of the roll to control the clutching action ofsaid clutch gear, and operating means including a gear concentric withsaid ironing roll and in mesh with said clutch gear for driving saidroll.

2. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironingshoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms forsupporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relationwith said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms arerigidly secured, an operator operated member connected to operate saidshaft for raising and lowering said roll, a clutch gear rotatablymounted on said shaft and slidable thereon into clutched or unclutchedposition, operating means includin said clutch gear for driving saidroll, a'sIidably mounted operatingV rod having a resilient connectionwith said clutch gear, and a connection between said operator operatedmember and said operating rod for automatic operation of said clutchgear. A

3. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironingshoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms forsupporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relationwith said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms arerigidly secured, an operator operated member connected to operate saidshaft for raising and lowering said roll, a clutch gear rotatablymounted on said shaft and slidable thereon in to clutched or unclutchedposition, operating means iiicliiding said clutch gear for driving saidroll, a slidably mounted operating r od including telescopic sectionsone of which is connected -with said clutch gear, resilient means foropposing telescopic movement of said rod sections, and a cam connectionbetween said operator operated member and said operating rod forautomatic operation of said clutch gear.

4. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironingshoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms forsupporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relationwith said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms arerigidly secured, an operator operated member operatively connected tosaid shaft for raising and lowering said roll, a Worm Wheel rotatabll' t5. In an ironing machine, in combination,

a supporting frame, an ironing shoe supported upon said frame, anironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swingingmovement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a work supporting pancarried by said frame and attached atone .edge thereof adjacent saidshoe and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom to pointsunderlying said roll, a feed table mounted for independent adjustmenttoward and away from said roll, and means for se- Y curing said feedtable in adjusted operative position. f

6. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironingshoe'supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms forsupporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relationwith said shoe, one of said pivoted arms having a loop therein for thereception of work, a work supporting pan carriedpby said frame andunderlying said roll, a feed table positioned adjacent said roll, asupport for mounting said feed table for adjustment so as to vary itsdistance from the working surface of the roll, and securing means forsecuring said feed table in different adjusted' operative positions.

7. In an ironing machine, in combination, an ironing shoe having anironing surface, an ironing roll mounted for moveinet with respect tosaid shoe and cooperating with said ironing surface, means for movingsaid roll with respect to said shoe, clutch mechanism having dogsinterengageable in meshino' relationship for transmitting power to saidroll, a rod having yieldingly connected telescopic sections, means forconnecting said rod to said clutch mechanism, and means including a camengageable with said rod to operate the latter for controlling saidclutch mechanism when said roll moving means is operated.

8. In an ironing machine, in combination, integral cast end frames, eachhaving upright legs and transverse connecting members, an upstandingpedestal adjacent one edge of each of said end frames, an ironing shoesupported by said pedestals and havin a curved ironing surface, anironing ro supported by said pedestals and mounted for co-operation withsaid ironing shoe, a

feed table supported adjacent said feed roll,

and a flexible work supporting pan supported at one edge b'y saidpedestals, and beine downwardly and forwardly curved beneath saidironing roll to points substantially underlying said feed table.

9. In an ironing machine, in combination, an ironing shoe having anironing surface, an ironing roll mounted for movement with respect tosaid shoe and coo erating with said ironing surface, a pedal orcontrolling `the movement of said roll, spaced' resilient connectionsbetween said `pedal land said roll, spaced ratchet plates secured instationary position upon the ironing machine and osltioned respectivelyadjacent said space resilient connections, and spaced rockalole pawlsattached to said'pedal and being normally biased for engagement,respectively, with said ratchet lates. In testimony w ereof I ax mysignature.

FREDERIC H. EHNTS.

